


early mornings

by Onacazolt



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Edelgard is there too I guess, Edelgard von Hresvelg - Freeform, Established Relationship, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Black Eagles Route Spoilers, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mild Angst, Nicknames, Post-Canon, Wholesome, just two gays trying to get through life and not spill their drinks every 5 seconds, maybe??? Hey this is my first time with tags I don’t know what’s happening, route spoilers??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2019-12-03
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:53:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21655579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onacazolt/pseuds/Onacazolt
Summary: Even though the grown up noble still wishes to make the best of his time, it’s hard when he finally realizes he has a reason to stay in bed longer.
Relationships: Ferdinand von Aegir & Hubert von Vestra, Ferdinand von Aegir/Hubert von Vestra
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	early mornings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [my stupid friends because they love me and I love them too much to even say](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=my+stupid+friends+because+they+love+me+and+I+love+them+too+much+to+even+say).



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Early morning weren’t always resented by the long-haired Noble. Back in his youth, he enjoyed the mornings. It was always a chance to rise before Edelgard stirred from her sleep; before the church bells rang to signal the awakening of a new school day for the students and the staff; before anyone could get in his way as he began to plan how he would approach the activities and classes awaiting. He always would purposefully stir early, even if he did go to bed past a reasonable hour and have to suffer hardly any shut eye in the day. But the thing that kept him going in those days was his eagerness to finally prove himself better than Edelgard at anything. A duel, a task, a lesson plan, an errand, and at eating food out of all things. He would hinge himself on that like a door screwed to its hinges as it swung open and closed consistently, threatening to break but holding its all against everything. 

In the early mornings Ferdinand would’ve awoken before the sun fully touched the mountains not far away from the Monastery, sometimes sitting on his chair as he looked at the dew dripping down his window and off of the plants outside of it. He’d observe how the clouds would move to make way to the sun, always making a metaphor to it, sometimes a day bringing a different one along than the last few. His favorite, out of all of them, was a reference to how he would cut the people who misused and abused their powers away from ever having it again. How he’d carve a path that leads to the respectful nobles the world needed instead of the crest obsessed, disrespectful and outright pitiful ones the Empire, Alliance and evening Kingdom currently held. How, when he finally rose to becoming Duke Aegir, would propose reforms to change the laws for the noble classes, making them oblige to a generic moral code that simple was along the lines of “treat others how you want to be treated or suffer the consequences”. He liked that metaphor that his school days mind had generated in the early hours of the morning. Sometimes, though now rare, he’d bring it up in a conversation or a political meeting. But, besides all that, his wish of the fixed noble system and class was becoming a reality. 

The next thing he’d do those mornings was finally rise from the window seat and stretch out his legs and his arms and his back and crack his knuckles to ensure he had the most mobility and usefulness as possible. He had known the young Edelgard’s routine of flexing her wrists and popping her knuckles when nervous or when preparing for a fight or for writing, so he adapted that as his wake up call. He’d finally open his closet and pull up a fresh set of uniform clothing, or whatever the assigned outfit of the day was. He had a butler suit tucked away in the far corner of the closet the room had, and in front of it were various types of uniforms the young noble could choose from. There was a white and beige one that, though it was tight around his lower body, made him look fairly decent. He had the regular Monastery required outfit for all students, and then a few various others that had been approved. 

After picking out his clothes, Ferdinand would straighten his short hair and give himself a little “pick-me-up” talk in the mirror. He’d talk to himself, saying how he wouldn’t let the day go downhill, or how he was going to one day change the world for the better and lead well. When Byleth’s father had died, Ferdinand had felt the world crash down upon him, seeing his precious professor sad and barely eat for multiple days. Yes, he was well and didn’t seem to need any care, but Ferdinand tossed aside any rivalry plans and bets to Edelgard, discarded any fights with Hubert, and put aside his mentoring of nobility towards Dorothea and Bernadetta, and only had the mindset of making sure Byleth recovered. He didn’t know the hardship of losing a parent that meant much to him, but he didn’t want to. And if this was what it caused, he couldn’t help but want someone with him during those times too. 

Mornings during the war were… difficult. He was still in the mindset of needing to prove his worth, but not in the same rivalry sense. No, he had finally reached the conclusion that he would not be able to surpass the Emperor of his own region, but rather it would be best to put aside the childish behavior and work as partners without the conflict. As Duke Aegir and Emperor Edelgard. Of course when Hubert heard about this, he was surprised. Visibly shocked would be the word to describe how his eyebrows raised when Ferdinand finally explained how the conversation went due to Hubert’s one realistic threat he gave if he didn’t tell. The mornings were not as “alone” as the schooldays. Instead, he usually was now around with Hubert those mornings. Though not together all the time, the two were awake at the same time and would eventually have to greet each other in the dining hall where they retrieved their drinks. 

“Good morning Hubert,” Ferdinand would usually greet him that way as he walked beside him, the two standing next to each other in a portion of the kitchen as they prepared their drinks. Hubert, as usual, would be there just a little time after him and grab the mug that was never touched by anyone else but him. According to Ashe, there was a rumor that he had cursed the mug to kill or poison anyone who attempted to use it that wasn’t him. 

“The same time you, Ferdinand,” his icy voice would reply with little emotion. That was always the end of the conversation unless he needed to mention war business or commit a war crime, which would end up being classified as the most extreme sarcasm any human being could hear. 

There was one meeting; however, that would change their rivalry into the friendship that Ferdinand wanted to desperately get with Hubert though. See, even during the days before the war and before Byleth fell down the chasm for five years, the nobles eyes would sometimes linger on the dark mage for a few moments too long. He remembered looking at Hubert’s gloves one time, and silently thinking the idea of what it would be like to hold them. What texture would end up being felt through the white gloves? Were his hands rough? Were they soft? Hubert had caught on to his stare and had asked him what the matter was, to which Ferdinand simply brushed it off as dozing due to the lack of sleep.

No, the meeting he remembered was when the two were doing their usual routine of one fetching their coffee, and one fetching their tea. Ferdinand, as usual, got their first and began warming up his, adding the tea leaves and some Noa berries to it since they were said to be a good stimulant for alertness; which he lacked that morning. As he made his, the door opened and Hubert walked in. 

“Good morning,” Ferdinand had greeted him the same way as he always did. He cursed at himself internally. Make a move already! Who cares about the consequences right now, I AM Ferdinand Von Aegir! I am! 

“As to you too, my friend,” Hubert’s voice was… different. He didn’t sound as stern, he sounded a lot more tired. His voice was scratchy too, like something wasn’t right. When Ferdinand had turned his head in surprise at the sudden change of “Ferdinand” to “my friend” and nearly had a case of fight or flight. Hubert was a mess. His hair nearly covered his entire face and badly needed to be brushed through, lose strands in front of the uncovered eye, but he also was not in his best attire. In fact, he was only wearing a coat with a black shirt underneath, though he still had on his boots and his usual pants with the belt around them. 

“Hubert my goodness you look like a mess. Not to be rude that is but-“

“Cut the politeness and the mask. I’m just here to make some coffee and return to my quarters.”

Ferdinand then stayed quiet and remained where he was, the tea brewing slowly. Was it slower than usual? No, it was the right speed. His eyes has slowly glanced down at where Hubert was standing and then noticed he wasn’t wearing his signature white gloves. Even in battle he never removed them, but now? They were off and gone. Why? This was no time for whys. Hubert’s hands were the same pale as his face, though a little darker, but what caught Ferdinand so off guard were the magic stains. The palms of his hands were almost the shade of the darkness that swallowed Byleth when fighting Solon in the Sealed Forest, with shades of purple dotted here and there like a paint splatter. 

Hubert had noticed how the noble’s eyes were looked at his hands, but never stepped in and accused him for staring. To him, this was only proving the speculation he had already considered fact. To him, this was extra evidence. “Ferdinand, I think your tea is finished,” he had spoken in the icy tone he always used and watched as his eyes immediately went back to the pot he had been making and turned off the heater for it. 

“Yes, thank you for telling me. I apologize, I seem to be a little out of my zone right now. I don’t know why.”

“I do.”

This was Ferdinand’s worst nightmare at the time. “Y-you do?”

Hubert had only let out a laugh as he crossed his arms, his coffee brewing silently beside them. “Ferdinand you really are the worst at hiding things. Let me see… you stared at my hands for over a minute while your tea was boiling, you’ve always shown manners to me even when I never used to, I caught you thinking out loud when saying something involving me and you, and how you would not mind the thought of being together, and your skittish behavior has only gotten worse when wandering the monastery, sitting next to be in conferences, and fighting near one another in battle.”

He didn’t need to be reminded of his nervous behavior. From a younger perspective, school days Ferdinand would not like how he had turned out. From the confident, endearing and self-loved noble to the one who simple gets nervous goosebumps around Edelgard’s bodyguard, his youth would not be impressed. But during this situation, he couldn’t find the words to defend his actions and averted his eyes.

“Ferdinand, you like me in a partner-way, do you not? All I am looking for is a solid answer.”

“Yes… I do. But please, do not tell Edelgard about this! I promise these feelings will brush over in time. Besides, I know you have no heart for romance so this will all blow over very quickly.”

“You’re lying to yourself, I can tell. You’ve been feeling this way since our school days, correct?”

“Yes, yes I have.”

“I cannot say I’ve felt that way for as long as you, and though I push aside all emotions to further Lady Edelgard’s dreams and ambitions, I do think for myself every once and awhile. I can imagine what you are worried about now,” his words were going straight to Ferdinand’s already rapidly pumping heart, which was only fueled by anxiety and flusteredness at the current scenario. “You fear I’ll not reciprocate these feelings and push you aside, or have you killed for your feelings, is that right?”

Ferdinand had no chance of escaping this awkward situation now. The early dawn was not being kind to him that significant morning. “Yes, you are right. I am ashamed to say this, but you are right about every single detail of that.” 

“Well, I must say that you can put these fears aside. I do indeed share these feelings. You… have captivated my attention. Not as long ago as the days when we were younger, but recently. You have shown a side of yourself once hidden by the consistent mentions of nobility that overshadowed everything. I can admire that.”

“So… you are saying that you also like me? Like me in a partnership way?”

“Yes, I must say that I do.”

Ferdinand put his tea down on the counter and nervously grabbed Hubert’s bare hand, making the mage flinch at the sudden contact. He finally got his answer. Though the schoolboy and the warrior wondered how his gloves were textured, his hands were what he wanted to know the story of the most. These magic scarred hands were rough, but smooth. To ground himself, he gave his hand a light squeeze before letting go. “So, am I allowed to… call us boyfriends?”

Hubert nodded. “Yes, but not in front of others. I want to keep this low, if you don’t mind. I don’t need my war appeal to be lowered if they knew I had agreed to a relationship with the duke. Though, it would be good politically.”

Ferdinand was beaming. To this day, that interaction was the best part of his life. He had wrapped his arms around Hubert in a light hug before letting go so he could turn off the coffee pot, grabbing his drink. The two stood there awkwardly as he had then added some medication into his coffee and looked at the noble’s curious face. “I probably should’ve mentioned I’m ill before you had physical contact with my body,” Hubert had remarked with a smile on his face, which was wiped off in favor of the aura he wished to present as soon as the two left the kitchen. Ferdinand had yelled something at him, something about how no sickness could kill him now, but he didn’t remember that. His head had been buzzing too much to remember those days.

Now, he no longer needed to get up early in the morning anymore. Though the dew drops on the window sills and the morning sun that approached the sky still beckoned his body to wake, he stayed down in bed, his hair either loose or tied in a bun above his head. Once, his faithful friend Petra, when out training early to go on scouting duty, had spotted him in a messy bun as he was petting his pegasus in the rain. It was during the war days, and she talked about how he should wear it like that more often to reduce tangles and keep his hair healthy yada yada something Brigid related with skinny dipping to show maturity and health. Ferdinand did it again purposefully to catch Hubert by surprise, and did. He even said the curly hair stuck in a messy bun suited his style. 

But at the moment on this day, in the early hours of the morning, he had it in a bun. The cold months in the Empire were not the easiest to handle with the storms that would provide heavy rain or light snow, but they were the times when the warmth was taken for granted. Now, there was a fire dimly going in the fireplace in the bedroom of the Vestra estate in the main bedroom, sparks flickering in and out as the log was nearly reduced to ash. Ferdinand was dressed in his pajamas, short sleeved and long pants. But he didn’t need to be fully covered. Hubert, his husband, had his arms wrapped around him as they both slept on their sides; Ferdinand’s back was to Hubert and he was curled slightly inwards. Hubert’s breath wasn’t felt lightly on his skin as it prickled when it was blown on. His husband’s arms were also wrapped around him so that Ferdinand was secure in his reach, and the covers were pulled up to their necks and around their shoulders. 

His eyes had barely opened, but his body did not wish to move. He was content here. He could stay there forever, never moving and slowly drifting through life in the position they had fallen asleep in. Husband. His husband. It was realistic now to see him as such. Once a schoolboy's crush, now a grown man’s loved one. How time is in favor of those it loves. 

“Hubert… are you awake?”

“Have been the past… few minutes perhaps,” he responded with a tired voice, yawning against the cloth on Ferdinand’s back and rubbing his eyes with one hand. “Do you know what time it is?”

“It’s too early to wake up, I can tell you that much my raven,” Ferdinand replied quietly, nearly whispering, and turned around to face him, looking at his eyes. They were half open, half closed, and were so different from the ones in the political meetings over the past few days. They had to go to the capital of Embarr to assist in some political meetings, which were only supposed to last two days. However, a new association problem with a local traveling group arose during the time, forcing the two to stay in the palace for another three days, not seeing each other till the late night hours. Last night was the first real night the two could get good sleep. “You look exhausted as well.”

“Believe me, I am… can we go back to sleep?” Hubert asked, kissed Ferdinand’s forehead as he closed his eyes, leaning into the brief touch. The brief contact of skin. 

“Of course. I was just about to suggest that myself.”

They readjusted their sleeping positions, Ferdinand’s head on Hubert’s chest as he had a leg around one of the mage’s, both arms around him too. The mage had his head on top of Ferdinand’s with his breath now hitting the loose locks of his orange, curly, long hair. This was a position the schoolboy could’ve only dreamed of late at night. The same schoolboy who wondered what was beneath the gloves.

That day, that year, and in that life, Ferdinand Aegir Vestra and his husband, Hubert Von Vestra, discovered much more than what lay under ones gloves. But rather what was truly in ones heart. They discovered that outside looks dont determine one's emotions.

They discovered that, even though the early bird may get the worm, that same bird doesn’t have the comfort of their loved one’s arms around them until noon.  
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**Author's Note:**

> FERDIBERT WEEK LOSERS ITS FERDIBERT WEEK!!!!  
> Also how was this story??? Was it ok?? I write a lot more in my free time and have a lot of stories other places but I’m just stupid and my mind went “write this in an hour go”.  
> I hope I don’t have typos? I have no one to beta my work and god knows my parents want to so I’m resorting to my eyes and grammerly.  
> So far? Doing just peachy just great.  
> Alright I’ll shut up now, I just want to be the good on his hellspawn of a page! So it’s time to flood everyone with long, wholesome fluff that they can’t escape. :)


End file.
